Ferrari's Mattia Binotto is pleased with how Carlos Sainz integrated himself within the team over the course of his first year with them. Sainz joined the Scuderia at the beginning of 2021 to replace Sebastian Vettel, and team boss Binotto says that every effort was made ahead of the season to ensure that the Spaniard became used to how the squad works. "Certainly, we are very keen on that," Binotto told media including RacingNews365.com . "I think it has been obtained as well through quite a big effort through the winter time. With [the] engineers, he was often [going] to Maranello, [to] sit down [with them], going through the car, the procedures. "So it has been a lot of work back in Maranello, on the simulator, [to] try to prepare [for] the season. I think that we've seen the result of such an effort. "We had a session of driving in Fiorano with an old car, just before the first testing, so everything was put in place [to] try to help Carlos for his integration."
Sainz has been a "good learner" at Ferrari
As well as the team making this effort, Binotto has been impressed with the approach taken by Sainz himself. "[It] certainly has been very good on his side as well," the Italian explained. "He has been very good because he is a good learner. He is studying, he's trying to learn, he's trying to understand, and I think he has been consistent in his integration and development in terms of performance for the season as well." Sainz scored 164.5 points in the 2021 campaign, putting him fifth in the World Championship. This also meant that he finished ahead of fellow Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in seventh, as well as beating former McLaren teammate Lando Norris in sixth. Ferrari also triumphed against rivals McLaren to secure P3 in the Constructors' Championship.
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